September 8, 2010
Plaintiffs' counsel -- Janssen, Malloy, Needham,
Morrison, Reinholtsen, Crowley & Griego, LLP, the Law
Offices of Michael D. Thamer, and Christopher J. Healey and
Aaron Winn from Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps, LLP --
are pleased with the results of the negotiated settlement,
which requires court approval. We believe the proposed
settlement serves the best interests of the Class of persons
residing in each of the skilled nursing facilities in
Humboldt County and the other named defendant skilled
nursing facilities throughout California. Although the
monetary amount of the settlement is less than the verdict,
we are satisfied that it reflects the best possible recovery
for our clients taking into consideration the uncertainty,
risks and delays associated with proceeding to judgment.
The settlement value of sixty two million and eight hundred
thousand dollars includes the costs of an injunction, valued
at twelve million eight hundred thousand dollars and an
additional fifty million dollars to cover settlement
payments to class members, notice and claims administration
costs, certain service payments to named plaintiffs,
plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees and costs (to be approved by the
Humboldt County Court) and certain other payments.
The verdict and settlement would not have been possible
without the hard work and commitment of employees of the
Humboldt County Superior Court and the dedication of the
jurors, who served more than six months in what we are told
is
We cannot stress enough the importance of the participation
and collaboration from the Humboldt County District
Attorney's office. Mr. Gallegos and his colleagues worked
side-by-side with us for more than four years and for that
we are extremely thankful.